The  Council including  Fr Jaques Charles, Fr Sylvain Ducange, recently appointed as the next Superior, Fr Ange Zucchi, Fr Jean Sylvain, Fr Jean Baptista, Fr Julio Nau, Fr Gerald Jeannot and  Fr Jean-Paul Mésidor, worked on a plan to relocate the Salesians in the houses in Haiti.

The situation was particularly worrying at the Salesian house of ENAM and the Little Schools of Father Bohnen (OPEPB) which are completely destroyed; Thorland has collapsed in on itself and Gressier has been partially damaged. Thre church and the parish centre of the “Cité Soleil” have totally collapsed.

The house at Fleuriot has been seriously damaged as has that at Petiont Ville. The houses of Thorland and Petion Ville have become reception centres and at present have about 3500 people there.

The Salesians who were living in the communities of ENAM and Fleuriot are being housed in other communities in Haiti, while the young post-novices will go for the time being to the Antilles Province.

To coordinate relief better, to  facilitate communication and plan for the development of activities a Salesian Crisis Committee has been established made up of Fr Jacques Charles, Fr Ducange Sylvain and Fr Ange Zucchi. Each community in Haiti will need to send in a detailed report of the situation of the Salesians, the young people and the property.

The priority needs are: the temporary re-location of the Salesians, finding help for the people now in the care of the Salesians, protecting the houses and the works, repairing the perimeter walls, creating a team to assess the condition of the buildings  and finally setting in motion a medium-term reconstruction programme for the buildings destroyed.

Published 19/01/2010